My day started out meeting all of Shannon's family over at her home. I was quickly introduced to this warm family and found out both her siblings were getting married in 2010, so I knew at least two other couples were giving me a test drive! Both Shannon's brother and sister did end up choosing me as their photographer, so I'm looking forward to spending time with this cool family again in 2010. I headed over to the Plymouth hotel where Jesse was getting ready. I've never seen males be so fastidious in their grooming pre-wedding, so that was fun. The we all headed over to the Henry Ford Estates in Dearborn, Michigan. Shannon arrived first, so we visited their extensive gardens. There are lots of nice places at the Henry Ford Estate where wedding photographers can take outdoor wedding photos. The ceremony took place at the Rose Garden at the Henry Ford Estates and they had a unique hand binding part of their ceremony involving both their moms. There were lots of opportunities for a candid wedding photojournalist to get wedding moments. At the end, they incorporated the German / Swiss tradition of log cutting. This took about a minute (versus the twenty minute ordeal I saw later in the year where the log was much closer to a redwood sized tree!) and we recessed into the hall. They wanted a family photo with all their invited guests which was an easy task to do at the Henry Ford house. The grounds are beautiful and I only wish there was a way to incorporate the historic nature of the Detroit family home into more wedding photos. The paneling is a very dark wood which is always a bit of a bear to photograph. We were also luck to have perfect weather so just about everybody was just as happy to spill outdoors. I love the dancing shots that completely capture the candid silliness of both the couple and their families. Everybody had a total blast and I think that comes through loud and clear in the photos!